audio book/real good thriller-mystery in Louisiana.

A Thin Dark Line
3.5 Stars

When a suspected killer is released on a technicality, Detective Nick Fourcade is removed from the case. Not one to give up, Nick forges an unlikely alliance with Deputy Annie Broussard. Known for playing by the book even to her own detriment, Annie is determined to seek justice for the victim even if it means putting herself at risk. But who is the real threat - the killer or those sworn to uphold the law?

Series note: Book #4 in the Doucet series and book #1 in the Broussard and Fourcade series. Despite these associations, this can be read as a standalone as the characters and the mystery are unrelated to the previous Doucet books.

This is my second foray into Tami Hoag's writing. The first was not all that successful as my expectations were for romantic suspense when Hoag's style is more thriller with romantic elements. Being aware of this made the current reading experience more satisfying.

The Louisiana bayou setting is very atmospheric and Hoag depicts some of the more uncomfortable nuances of a small town in the South with aplomb. She also does not shy away from realistic portrayals of law enforcement and the treatment of women in the profession. As recent cases in the US and the UK have illustrated, not much has changed since 1997.

Nick and Annie's chemistry is off the charts and their interactions are breathtaking. Nick is a compelling character whose actions are morally and ethically questionable. He skirts around the rule of law yet never completely crosses the line between hero and villain. Annie is the complete opposite. Although her strong sense of justice would seem to put her at odds with Nick, she is actually the perfect complement to him, and they bring out the best in each other.

The case itself is compelling with some excellent twists that keep the reader guessing throughout. The pacing is good although the book could have been shorter with less repetition of characters' internal musings and fewer overly descriptive paragraphs of settings.

Overall, an excellent mystery with strong characters and an engaging romance. ( )

What a weird book.

This doesn't even read like a Tami Hoag book. The main plot is a mess (investigating assault and murders of women) with multiple character POVs. I don't get the romance between Annie Broussard or Nick Fourcade. The setting of Louisiana could have been interesting, but ultimately fell flat. I just couldn't get behind Nick being an abusive police officer and Annie getting harassed by her fellow officers for daring to do the right thing.

I forgot I had "A Thin Dark Line" until I started rummaging through my bookshelves. I honestly didn't recall a thing about this book either so even though I had this book for years, nothing came back to me as I reread this.

Annie Broussard is a deputy looking to eventually become a detective. She finds herself fascinated by Nick Fourcade who is a loose cannon on the force. When Nick lashes out at a suspect, Annie steps on to stop the assault. This leaves Annie with a man who becomes obsessed with her. Nick also becomes obsessed with Annie initially thinking she is part of some conspiracy to ruin him.

I didn't really like any male in this book. Annie deserved better than Nick. In the end I think we're supposed to think Annie will keep Nick on the straight and narrow. Annie is put in danger repeatedly by her fellow officers and gets crapped on. She has an old flame try to tell her what to do and push his feelings on her. Maybe if Annie had a strong female relationship it would have helped balanced the overly masculine POVs.

I didn't believe the person who ended up being the suspect. It just read as false and something to throw out there. And I hated how things ultimately got wrapped up.

The writing was so so since we had multiple POVs. And we had Annie investigating and being harassed and Nick barely doing a thing it felt like. The flow was off. I found myself getting bored at parts. There were so many red herrings in this I just didn't even care at the end who was responsible for what.

I read this cause Hoag has a new book coming out that is a continuance of this series. Hopefully it's better than this. ( )

Really good story but didn’t think the Cajun/bayou language was very believable ( )

I was totally engrossed in this suspense novel which I read as a stand-alone. The intensity of the suspense was riveting.

By Chapter 40 I anticipated giving a rating of 5 stars. However, at this point in the novel a key character visits the Andrew Carnegie Library for research and the description of the "old" library disappointed me as per my italics of quoted material.

"The computers had been a gift to the library from a well-known local author, Conroy Cooper. A new library would have been a better gift. The Carnegie had been old when Christ was in short pants. Dank and dimly lit, the place had always given Annie the creeps. The air was musty with the smell of moldering paper. Every wooden surface had either turned black with age or been worn pale from use. Even the librarian, Miss Stitch, seemed slightly mildewed."

( )